Christmas Surprise
by SelenaEde
Summary: After Bella and the Cullens return from Christmas dinner out of town, they realize that there is an invader in the Cullen home. This isn't your average invader though. The invader is human, familiar, and... decorated the house for Christmas? ROSWELL XOVE


**Disclaimah: **Me no owny Twilight. Stephenie Meyer, the very normal Soccer-Mom-ish woman does. Trust me, you wouldn't like it if I owned Twilight. At all. Ever :D

**Note of Doom**: Ok first post of anything in a long while. I am very uber super mega waaaayyyyyyyy reluctant to post this. I don't know if anyone will like it, or if it will not confuse people, or if it's any good at all what-so-ever because low and behold I, as per usual, don't really think it is. Also, as per usual, my famous amongst my stories character Nikki Phoenix makes an appearance. Although this time it is for my own sanity. I don't think I could ever write a Twilight story without her in it or else I would go crazy... well her or Liz Parker from Roswell. XD. THIS IS TAKES PLACE IN NO MANS TIME, I MADE UP A FAKE TIME AND STUCK IT THERE, I'VE READ THE FIRST 3 BOOKS AND HAVE A VAGUE IDEA OF THE CONTENTS OF THE 4TH, AND SINCE THIS CAN'T FALL ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN THOSE BOOKS, THIS TAKES PLACE IN NO MANS TIME! I thought you should know :P Oh and for the record, I don't like Bella, so it will probably be horrible and she's probably OOC just like everyone else . And n ow I'm just ranting... I hope you like it, and I actually want to say, please review this if you read it. Please. Hardly anyone ever takes the time to review my stories, so yeah. But flamers, be warned, I will probably not flinch at your bashing, as I probably agree with it. And your flames will be used to torch the bodies of any ebil vamps that cross my path. So prepare to be confused, and be warned, I myself don't like the ending. And please ignore many typos, as i am self proclaimed Queen of the Typos. Hopefully I got them all...Ok, shutting up now.

**Christmas Surprise**

_I'll be home for Christmas,_

_You can count on me_

_- 'I'll be home for Christmas' by Vvarious Artisits over time_

It was late at night when the cars finally parked in the familiar garage. The Cullens had taken me out for Christmas dinner, despite my intense dislike of the idea. They don't eat, so what's the point? But they took me out none-the-less and they all surprised me by eating a little, their reasoning was that it was Christmas Eve. After all, it would be rather suspicious for a huge group to enter the restaurant and only one person to actually eat. The dinner itself was great. Everyone was getting along with me. Even Rosalie had seemed to put away her differences with me and we got along.

Most of us had taken different cars. Esme and Carlisle had joined Edward and myself in Edward's shiny silver Volvo. Jasper and Alice took Alice's yellow Porsche that the pixie-like girl loved so much. Rosalie and Emmett took Rosalie's bright red convertible, being unusually conspicuous, driving with the top down. At least they had been bundled up to try and make it a little more normal.

The plan was that after the unusually long dinner, four hours, mind you the restaurant was in another town, was for me to go to the Cullens house and hang out there so Edward could give me a small present before the real one I had consented to the week before.

The moment Edward helped me out of the car I knew that something was wrong. Actually the moment we got in sight of the house, I knew something was off, mostly because there were candles flickering in the living room, as well as Christmas decorations and a tree. It didn't come to my attention that something was actually wrong until I looked at the Cullens; they seemed tense.

"What's wrong?" I asked Edward quietly.

"There are decorations in the house," Edward said vaguely.

"You didn't put them there?" I asked, mildly alarmed.

"No," was his simple answer as he put a hand on my arm.

"There's someone in the house," Alice breathed beside me.

"Oh no," I muttered. My thoughts quickly went to all the horrible places that it shouldn't have. Vampires? The Volturi? I shuddered at the last word.

"It's a human," Emmett said from across the garage.

Suddenly all of the Cullens relaxed. I took that as a good sign. Quick, relieved glances were passed around.

"Who is it?" I asked, looking up at Edward.

"Maybe you should see for yourself," Edward answered. I glanced around at his family. They all looked amused and happy. I wondered who it could be. No one ever really visited the Cullens and certainly not someone _human_. My mind frantically searched for a possible and likely identity for the person.

As I thought I realized, they all seemed surprised, so it must be someone who can slip by Alice's foresight skills. A werewolf? But no, certainly not. Not only would a wolf not want to enter the Cullen home, but they distinctly said human, not dog.

"Jacob?" I asked looking at Edward. I knew I was wrong but I had to ask just in case.

"No, thankfully," Edward said, smirking.

I glanced around at the members of his family once more. Esme and Carlisle were smiling as if their long lost child had just come home. Alice looked excited. Emmett was smiling happily and even Rosalie had a small smile on her face. But Jasper's reaction showed me the most. Jasper looked happy but his nose was twitching in a peculiar way. I tried to place the way his nose was twitching and why it looked so familiar. Then I realized that that was the way he looked when he smelled something good. Something _really_ good.

I glanced up at Edward and he just looked amused. I quickly glanced around and noticed that most of the Cullens, with the exception of Carlisle were showing signs that they smelled something good.

I tried to place who the person could be. Someone I knew obviously. Someone who made the Cullens happy. Someone who is seemingly oblivious or has the ability to be oblivious to Alice's gift. And most importantly, someone who smelled good to vampires.

And then it clicked. I looked up at Edward with wide eyes.

"No," I breathed, looking at him. "It's not…"

"See for yourself," my boyfriend said, his ochre eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.

I burst into the house, excitedly, the Cullen family following me. As soon as I entered the house, I sighed happily. It smelled good, like cookies and sweets.

I hurried into the living room, ignoring the chuckles coming from the family behind me. As I entered the living room I stopped dead. The Cullens came to a halt behind me as well, and I could hear their sharp intakes of breath.

The living room was beautifully decorated. Simple sparkling snowflakes of all shapes and sizes hung from the ceiling. A bouquet of poinsettias in scarlet and ivory hues adorned the coffee table, a few red and white roses thrown into the mix. All of the flowers were resting in a glass vase. Beside the poinsettias on the table was a plate of all kinds of cookies, ranging from sugar cookies to chocolate chip. On the other side of the bouquet there were eight Christmas-y mugs and an antique kettle filled with what smelled like hot chocolate. As I looked closely I saw that the mugs all brandished one of our names. The mug with my name on it sat filled and waiting.

Along the floor were random sparkles, as if someone had thrown a few handfuls of glitter into the air and let them fall gracefully to the ground. Along the walls were eight red and white stockings that, like the mugs, each brandished one of our names. The more shocking thing about the stockings though, was that they were filled. Each one was filled to the brim with goodies. I gaped.

Along the walls and on a few tables were white, gold and red candles, each were burning brightly. I looked to my right, towards the front door and saw a beautiful wreath hanging on the inside of the door. It had a large red bow on it that was made of a real ribbon that looked to be made out of silk or satin as opposed to the tacky fake velvet of most wreaths. There were a few red and white roses that were tucked neatly into the evergreen boughs that made up the wreath. One stuck out more than the others, as it was white with a splash of red on it. Also adorning the wreath were a few chess pieces; a few red pawns and a few white Queens. Just before I looked away I saw that the wreath also had a few miniature apples attached to it. The wreaths uniqueness made me smile as it only more fueled the idea of who had done this.

I turned 180º and froze. I froze because I had finally gotten a glimpse of the tree. It was gorgeous. The trees theme seemed to be gold and white and it looked amazing. The lights twinkled like little white stars upon the green. There was no tacky looking garland on this tree, only two simple strands of beads, one strand gold the other white. Most of the ornaments were either white or gold, but there were a few exceptions. As I scrutinized the tree looking for a flaw and not finding one, I noticed that there were only seven exceptions to the white and gold ornaments.

The most amazing thing about the tree was that the angel on top. Or should I say angels. There was a couple on top of the tree; a male angel and a female angel. The angels were standing in a position that clearly screamed that they were a couple. The male angel had his arms around the female angel, lovingly and they were gazing into each other's eyes. The male angel was dressed in a white robe and had blond hair while the female was dressed in a lovely white gown and had caramel-colored hair. They were both incredibly pale and beautiful. They each had a pair of delicate wings that were made of what seemed to be glass. They both looked oddly familiar.

As I stopped staring at the beautiful angel set on top of the tree, I noticed that there were four small tables set up beside the tree. Upon the two tables to the left and the table that was farthest to the right were more sets of angels. On the table closest to the tree on the right was a note that was propped up.

I slowly approached the angels on the tables, bringing me closer to the tree. The Cullens all followed me, and I heard a soft gasp come from Esme.

The couple of angels that were farthest to the left were also in a position that said that they were in love. The male angel stood behind the female, with his hands lovingly on the female's hips. The female angel was in front and had her arms above her head and wrapped around the male's neck lovingly. The male angel was slightly more muscular than the blond upon the tree and he was pale and had slightly curly dark hair. The female was beautiful and pale with long, wavy golden hair. The male was wearing a flowing white robe like the angel on the tree and the female wore a beautiful white dress. Despite the similarities in the manner of dress with those upon the tree, these angels' clothes were different. Their wings were just as beautiful as those of the angels on the tree, only slightly different and more elaborate. Like the angels on the tree, they were strikingly familiar.

I turned my attention to the angel couple beside this one. Their position said love as well. The female and the male were holding each other's hands and looking lovingly into each other's eyes. The pose seemed oddly familiar, as did the angels' appearances. The female was pale, beautiful and oddly pixie like. She had short, spiky black hair. The male was pale and tall with honey blond hair. Their clothes were similar to those of the other angels' in that they were a white robe and a white dress, but at the same time, they were different. Their wings were also made of beautiful painted gold and white glass like the other angels' but their wings seemed to be more delicate. They looked so familiar…

I skipped over the table with the note, my curiosity making me desperate to see the last set of angels, wondering if they were just as beautiful as the last sets. When I looked at this set, my mouth fell open. This couple of angels looked just as in love as the others, with the male standing tall and beautiful beside the female, his right hand on the female's hip and his left hand holding hers. Her left arm was outstretched so that she could hold his hand and her right hand was over his on her hip. The male was slender, yet muscular and had messy bronze colored hair. The female was very fair skinned but not as pale as the male or the others and she had long straight brown hair. Their outfits were similar to those of the other angels' but still different. Their wings were like the others' but more simple, yet still elegant.

My eyes were trained on the couple of angels and I realized something that made me gasp. I quickly scanned the other angel sets and the realization dawned on me so fully that I had to reach over to Edward for support. My eyes flicked to the note, which was written in a very familiar, very unique scrawl.

"Upon the tree is placed the oldest couple currently in this house. The woman is motherly, the man is justly proud. They are the parents in this house. They are the rightful leaders. They are Esme and Carlisle. On the sad excuse for a pedestal to the far right is placed the most elaborate couple currently in this house. He is big but gentle; she is vain and rightly so. They are very much in love. They are Emmett and Rosalie. On the table to their immediate right is placed the tenderest couple currently in this house. The female is unique and happy; the male is loving and careful. They have found each other. They are Alice and Jasper. To the far right is placed the most forbidden couple in this house. He is mysterious, and she is hopelessly in love. She is the forbidden fruit, and he doesn't care. They are addicted. They are in love. They will make it work. They are Edward and Bella. I hope you like the renditions, they're not very good but they're the best I could do." Edward read, as he saw my eyes fall upon the note.

The words, though simple, seemed poetic to me. I read the note again silently to myself then looked away. I scrutinized the sets of angels and I was struck by how much they looked like those that they were depicting. When my eyes fell upon the set of Edward and myself, tears sprung to my eyes. It was perfect. They all were. But the thing I loved the most about the angel set of Edward and myself is that she had created the angel of me to look beautiful.

I glanced down at my feet and noticed that under the tree sat seven presents of various sizes, all wrapped in gold wrapping paper and adorning either white or red ribbon bows. I gasped again.

I hurriedly looked away from the angels and the tree and noticed the others still staring and observing the works of art. As I looked away I spotted what I was looking for. On the couch, fast asleep, lay the person who was at the center of this Christmas-y universe. The one who had created it. Her back was facing away from us, towards the back of the couch. Even facing away from us I knew who it was. I'd know her anywhere. From her shaggy, almost shoulder-length hair, to her small feet. It was cousin from Roswell, New Mexico. Nikki Phoenix.

I pushed carefully past the gawking vampires, who I just noticed had all abandoned their inconspicuous outdoor wear, to my cousin and stood above her, watching her sleep. Even after all of the work she must have done, she looked fashionable. She was wearing a long black fake leather coat over a white lace shirt similar to the one I had worn when I first arrived in Forks. She wore a mid-thigh length red skirt and deep green tights. She wore red and white striped legwarmers and deep green socks. On her head, holding back her hair at her left ear was a festive red and white bow. I smiled down at her.

I barely noticed that the Cullens were now standing behind me. Nikki stirred, sensing our presence and rolled over. She opened her eyes and looked at us all through her black-framed glasses. A small smile graced her sweet face as she looked at us.

"And Goldilocks awoke and saw the eight bears. Only, I don't have golden hair and you guys aren't bears," were the first words out of my cousin's mouth.

"Nikki!" I cried and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug as she sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"We weren't expecting you," Esme said, a small smile on her face.

"I know," Nikki answered, looking over at Alice. Alice looked mildly annoyed, yet happy at the same time.

"I thought I told you not to do that to me. Not to use that ability you have to make your future disappear." Alice grumbled good-naturedly.

"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if you knew about it, now would it," Nikki smirked.

"She has a point," Edward agreed.

"Oh shut up, you're no help either. It's not like you can read her mind or anything," Alice declared getting defensive over her lack of power to see Nikki's future when my cousin didn't want her too. "At least I can use my power sometimes."

Edward was about to say something back but Nikki interrupted him.

"Touché," my cousin smiled. "I hope you guys don't mind my cheery Christmas spirit. And me being here. The Christmas spirit was drilled in after almost three years with the Christmas Nazi."

"Of course we don't mind," Carlisle said with a smile.

"Christmas Nazi?" Emmett asked.

"Do tell," Rosalie added.

"Isabel. One of my friends down in Roswell. She takes Christmas so seriously and tries to make everyone have a perfect Christmas. I actually almost feel sorry for her new husband Jesse. Almost. But he loves her, so he can deal with it. It's not that bad really. But I could just be saying that out of being used to it," Nikki explained.

Nikki stood up and looked around.

"Oh, Bella," she said. "You should probably drink the hot chocolate now if you're going to drink it. It's probably getting cold. And you can lose the winter wear, since all the others seem to have already. Unless of course you want to wear your parka, then by all means, go right ahead."

I nodded and obediently went to get the drink and take off my coat, boots, hat and gloves. Once I finished removing my snow gear I grabbed my drink and took a sip. It was still warm. As I turned around I couldn't help but smile. The Cullens were each taking turns giving my cousin hugs. First was Carlisle, he said something to her that I didn't quite catch. She smiled. Esme went next. She hugged the girl like she was her own daughter and whispered thanks.

"Don't thank me yet," Nikki laughed. "You haven't even opened your presents yet."

"You mean they aren't just empty boxes?" Jasper asked as he gave the girl a hug.

"Of course not, what do you take me for?" Nikki laughed, hugging him back.

"Sweet," Emmett muttered as he gave her a bear hug. At first I was afraid he might hurt Nikki without realizing it, but Nikki only laughed.

Alice went next and gave Nikki a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, her standard procedure for a good friend. Rosalie followed with a quick, yet friendly hug.

"So you've returned," Edward said formally and politely.

"So it seems," Nikki sniffed, just as politely.

"The decorations are nice," Edward stated, looking around.

"Aw, cut the crap," Nikki smirked. "Did you miss me?" The unmistakable Nikki grin was there, mischievous as ever.

"You wish," Edward said, losing his formality a little and smiling his heart-melting crooked smile.

"I should have known." The fake sadness in her voice was enough to make me smile as I drank my hot chocolate.

"Oh come here," Edward said and he wrapped Nikki in a hug. Watching them was like watching two best friends that had been separated for much to long. Watching them I felt a pang of unreasonable jealousy, although I didn't know why.

"Bella!" Nikki cried out and rushed over, wrapping me in a big hug.

"I missed you," I admitted.

"I know," Nikki laughed. "I missed you too.

"The angels are beautiful," I said. The others nodded vigorously.

"I did my best, and my friends in Roswell helped a lot," she admitted.

"You did wonderfully, thank them too," Esme admitted.

"I will," Nikki smiled.

There was a pause of silence and I glanced around the dimly lit and beautifully decorated living room.

"So," Nikki started. "Who wants to open presents?"

Emmett broke into a dimpled grin.

"I thought you'd never ask!" he admitted and the others laughed.

We all perched around in different spots of the living room. Esme and Carlisle sat on the couch next to each other, holding hands. Rosalie and Emmett sat in one of the big chairs; Alice and Jasper were in the other. Edward and I sat on the ground in front of the couch. Nikki went forth to the tree and handed out the gifts.

I watched intently as I saw Rosalie unwrap a beautiful, rosewood jewelry box. It had four drawers with elegant little handles, and an elaborately decorated glass door that opened to a little rack where necklaces and bracelets could be placed. A small mirror was behind the rack.

"Thank you," Rosalie breathed and Nikki simply smiled.

"You probably already have one that's better and if not can get one that's better, but I tried," Nikki explained.

Rosalie simply smiled.

Emmett's present had a red bow, which Rosalie promptly attached to his head in an oddly playful manner. I ignored Rosalie's seemingly carefree behavior and watched Emmett unwrap his gift. Emmett burst out laughing at the contents of the box. He held up a black t-shirt with an intricate picture Grizzly bear in a snowy forest on it. I was confused at first but then I realized what it signified. Grizzly was Emmett's favorite food. I was soon laughing along with the others.

"The real present's underneath," Nikki admitted, winking at him.

Emmett looked inside and smiled a little. He held up a gorgeous antique pocket watch. Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme and Edward stared at it. Emmett looked up at Nikki and smiled.

"I didn't know if it was the right one," Nikki hurried.

"It's the right one," Emmett said. "But how…?"

"Very carefully," Nikki smirked. I was confused. Nikki turned to me and mouthed: 'Don't ask.'

Nikki quickly handed Jasper a small box with a red ribbon. Jasper quietly unwrapped the box and Alice grabbed the ribbon, tying it around her own neck with a smile. Jasper lifted the lid off of the long, thin box. His eyes widened as he stared. Alice had a small smile on her face.

"Let us see," Esme insisted and Jasper wordlessly held up the gift. There was a medium length silver chain and on it were two silver dog tags. Esme made a small gasp and Alice undid the chain and placed it around Jasper's neck so quickly, I didn't actually see it happen.

"What do they say?" I asked Edward quietly, not having the supreme eyesight of the vampires.

"One has Jasper's name on it, and states his rank and the name of the army and division he belonged too. The other has Alice's name on it and the date they met," Edward said softly.

I smiled at the sentiment. The gift made so much sense, as Jasper had been in the military when he was a human and Alice is the most important thing in his life.

Esme's present was medium sized and was adorned with a white ribbon. Once she unwrapped the present she smiled softly. As the wrapping fell away, a leather book was revealed. She opened the book and smiled.

"What is it mom?" Alice asked quietly.

"It's a scrapbook," she breathed.

Indeed it was. Esme passed it around. Inside were photos of her and the rest of the family, including a few from when they were human. Those were of course in black and white and there were none of Carlisle, for obvious reasons. It was a wonderful gift for Esme.

"Thank you," Esme said to Nikki.

"No problem," my cousin smiled.

After everyone looked at the gift, Nikki pushed a hug present with a white bow towards Alice. Alice squealed excitedly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you honestly not know?" Nikki asked suspiciously.

"I honestly don't," Alice pouted.

"Well then, unwrap it and find out," Nikki said.

Alice hurriedly unwrapped it and then grinned. Alice's present was a huge, fabulous stereo. It had everything you could ask of a stereo system.

"Well I know you like music almost as much as Edward, and since he has the most fabulous stereo system in the world," Nikki grinned at Edward and he grinned back. "I thought that I should get you the second most fabulous stereo system in the world."

"Thanks Nikki!" Alice said and then kissed her on the cheek.

Nikki then handed a large but rather flat present to Carlisle. His present also had a red ribbon on it. Carlisle carefully unwrapped the present. He gaped at it once it was unwrapped. It was obviously a painting of some kind.

"I know it's not that great. Painting isn't really my forte, but my friend Michael helped, so hopefully he salvaged it ok. I think it looks much better because of him," Nikki explained.

"It's wonderful." Carlisle said and he meant it. Wordlessly the doctor turned the painting around so we all could see it. It was amazing. All of the Cullens were in it and so was I. Everyone was depicted as humans and all were dressed in clothes from the time period in which they were human, and we appeared to be in an old fashioned study or lounge of some kind. Carlisle stood tall and proud beside Esme in the portrait, looking dashing in his 1600's wear. Esme stood beside him, beautiful and dressed in clothes from the early nineteen hundreds. Rosalie and Emmett were to the left and in front of the older two, Rosalie in an old-fashioned chair and Emmett standing behind her. Rosalie and Emmett were both in elegant evening wear of the 1930's. To the right and in front of Carlisle and Esme were Alice and Jasper. Alice was sitting in an old fashioned chair that matched Rosalie's chair and was wearing clothing from the early 1900's. Jasper stood behind her in his Confederate uniform, a hand on Alice's shoulder. Sitting on an old-fashioned loveseat directly in front of Esme and Carlisle was Edward and me. Edward looked handsome in clothing from what was most likely 1918. Next to Edward and holding his hand was me. I was dressed in the blue dress from the prom of the first year I knew Edward. We all looked happy.

"I tried to get the whole family in there, I hope I got the clothes right," Nikki said.

"The clothes are great, but you forgot someone," Carlisle stated.

"I did?" Nikki looked mildly alarmed.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "'You."

Nikki looked mildly relieved.

"Oh is that all," she waved a hand. "I'm not that important." Nikki laughed and the quickly handed Edward his present.

It was in a medium sized box and had a red ribbon on it. Edward carefully unwrapped it. He stopped and stared once the lid was off. I glanced in the box and looked confused. There was a black jacket, old fashioned and easily from the early 1900's.

Edward looked up at Nikki with his beautiful eyes, carefully scrutinizing her.

"I thought you might want it back," Nikki said mysteriously. I was confused, but knew better than too ask. "There's more." She concluded.

Edward lifted the jacket out of the box and moved the tissue paper away. Edward's face broke into a smile as he saw what was inside.

"The Cure and The Spoons?" he asked, first eyeing the CD's and then looking at her. I was confused. I'd never heard of those bands before. The other Cullens had though and they looked at the girl incredulously.

"I noticed you didn't have them in your vast collection. Or at least it looked like you didn't. If you do then oops. Either way thought, they're signed." Nikki smiled hopefully.

"I love it," he said.

"Oh good. Anyway, I have to get going. Don't worry Bells; you'll get presents too. You just have to wait for tomorrow with Uncle Charlie." Nikki said.

"You have to go?" Alice asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I gotta go decorate Uncle Charlie's place. I know Bella didn't do it, cause she hates all the fuss, and Uncle Charlie's too lazy to do it, so someone has too. This'll just be the third and hopefully the final surprise Christmas decorating. It's getting to me," Nikki explained.

"Third?" I asked.

"I already did surprise Christmas with the Quileutes so yeah, third," Nikki said.

I had to smile. Leave it to Nikki.

"I shall see you all tomorrow then," Nikki said as she headed to the door to put on her boots.

"Do you need a ride?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, how did you get here?" Emmett asked.

"Why I flew," Nikki smirked.

"Not Forks, to the house," Rosalie added.

"Well actually I flew to neither. Michael gave me a ride here to Forks on his motorcycle; he's at a motel right now, waiting to take me back to Roswell. I'm thinking of asking Uncle Charlie to let him stay with us, he's kind of having a hard time right now. Mind you Uncle Charlie doesn't even know I'm here yet. Well, unless Billy told him…"

"Motorcycle?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, motorcycle," Nikki said, raising an eyebrow right back, making Edward and I laugh.

"Still, how are you getting to Charlie's?" Alice asked.

"Uh… walking?" Nikki suggested.

"No way," Emmett said.

"Someone will drive you." Carlisle said. I looked up at Edward expectantly. He opened his mouth to say he'd do it, but Alice interrupted him.

"Jasper and I will take her to Charlie's," Alice said.

"You don't have to," Nikki started to protest.

"But we want to," Jasper said.

"Ok then," Nikki relented.

After that was settled, good byes were at hand. Carlisle hugged her and whispered something in her ear. Nikki smiled at him and he kissed her cheek. Esme gave her a hug and thanked her.

"It was no problem," Nikki said and Esme too kissed her on the cheek.

Emmett gave her another bear hug.

"I still want to know how you got it. How you even knew about it," Emmett said.

"Well, I went to the store and bought it. Edward told me about your preference for Grizzlies, so..." Nikki joked.

"I meant the watch," Emmett said.

"I know, but I can't tell you right now. It's a secret." Emmett gave her a quick kiss on the cheek too.

Rosalie hugged her and thanked her.

"Don't forget to look in your stocking," Nikki winked. Rosalie looked curious and she too quickly kissed Nikki on the cheek.

I gave my cousin a hug.

"Nikki, where did you get the money to do all this for everyone?" I asked.

"Michael's half-sister Laurie. Remember I told you about her? She's rich and she gave me a lot, and I mean a lot, of money for my birthday." She explained.

"This is your birthday money,"

"Yeah, but don't worry. There was nothing I wanted, or else I would have gotten what I wanted instead." I knew she was lying. There was no way that she went three months without wanting something.

"Nikki…" I murmured. There was a silence.

"I will see you later," Nikki said, hugging me again.

"Later," I nodded.

Edward then approached the girl who was easily his best friend.

"Nikki…" Edward began.

"Edward…" Nikki said.

Edward quickly wrapped her up in a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You gonna ask me too?" she asked.

"That would require a possibly lengthy explanation on your part. I will let it rest for now."

"For now," Nikki laughed. Edward kissed her on the cheek and the pang of unreasonable jealousy arose again.

"Ok, bye guys. See you all tomorrow. Except for you Bella and possibly you Ed. You're more than likely coming over later too right? You always come over," Nikki smirked. "Maybe you'll get to meet Michael."

"Maybe," Edward agreed.

"Bye guys I love you all. Don't forget the stockings! And look at the tree. Really look at it. Merry Christmas"

With that my cousin left, Alice and Jasper close behind.

Rosalie, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle were already opening their stockings, but Edward however was standing before the tree, looking at it. I approached him.

"What are you doing Edward?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"I'm looking at the tree," he said, despite the fact that it was obvious what he was doing.

"What's so special about it? Why did Nikki want you guys to look at it?" I questioned.

"Each of the none-white and gold ornaments represents one of us. It comes from our time." He explained.

"It comes from your time?" I asked, curious.

"See the cross?" Edward asked. I nodded. "Well it represents Carlisle. Remember the story about his father?" I nodded again. "On top of representing him, this cross came from the sixteen hundreds." I gaped.

"See that bulb there?" Edward asked. I looked at where he pointed. It was a gorgeous bulb with a rose pattern on it. It was obviously an antique. "It represents Rosalie and came from the 1930's. The blue one there with the gold pattern? It represents Jasper and also comes from the 1800's."

Once more I was gaping at the information. To think my cousin could get her hands on things like this was amazing. I wanted to know badly how she got them and the antique pocket watch that didn't look like and antique and the antique coat that didn't look worse for the wear. That looked new, yet wasn't. But I knew better than to ask. Nikki would tell me when she thought the time was right, not before hand.

"That green one with the red trimming on it represents Emmett and came from the 1930's. The delicate looking one with the angel on it represents Esme and came from the early 1900's. The carved one of the teddy bear represents Alice and also came from the early 1900's."

"So that one must represent you," I breathed, pointing at the carved and painted nutcracker. "It came from the early 1900's too then?"

"1918 to be exact," he breathed. There was wonderment in his voice. We stood there for a while. Edward lost in thought and I standing by his side.

"Come," Edward said after a few minutes. "Let's open our stockings." He seemed genuinely enthusiastic. I followed him and grabbed a cookie.

"Then I can give you my small gift to tie you over until tomorrow," Edward smiled. I groaned, but didn't really mean it. "Then we will go to Charlie's and maybe meet this Michael that Nikki talks so fondly about." I had to admit I was curious about the guy too. With that we started into our stockings.

All together, this was easily turning out to be my best Christmas ever, and it was all thanks to my crazy cousin. I really wished she lived in Forks. Every day would be interesting then. And we wouldn't have to miss her, that other member of our family.

Stockings were exciting especially since Edward got concert tickets for us and I found plane tickets to Roswell for Edward and me in mine. At the bottom of my stocking there was something unusual. There was a vial with a cork in the top of a red liquid. I couldn't smell it, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd have to say it was blood. I was confused. There was a note attached that I quickly read aloud.

"Here's a sample of my blood. Thought I'd give it to you so you could get used to it quickly after you turn. I am going to be visiting you after all. Hope you don't find it too creepy." I read. Edward chuckled.

"Smart girl," he said and I gripped the vial, already planning to keep it somewhere safe.

After a moment of silence, Edward gripped my hand and led me upstairs.

"Present time," he grinned. I groaned.

It turned out to not be so bad. He had simply gotten me another charm for my bracelet that Jacob gave me.

An hour later we went over to Charlie's and Edward dropped me off, planning to come back after Charlie was asleep. Charlie was waiting up for me in the kitchen, but Nikki was already asleep on the couch, as was the guy on the chair. He had sandy blond almost light brown hair and his hair was quite long. He looked peaceful and like a good person, but I didn't know what he was like when he was awake.

"Hi dad," I said softly as I entered the kitchen so as not to wake Nikki and her friend.

"Hi Bells," Charlie said quietly. "Did you have a good time?"

I knew he was hoping I would say no, but I didn't let it bother me. Much.

"I had a great time. Who wouldn't when their favorite cousin shows up out of nowhere and decorates your boyfriend's house while you, he and his family are out to dinner?" I asked.

Charlie chuckled softly.

"She did I good job here," Charlie said.

"She did, just like she did at the Cullens and more than likely out at La Push."

"She went to La Push?"

"Yeah, before she went to the Cullens. She's friends with Jacob and his friends you know."

"I know." Charlie paused. "That was nice of her."

"She's a nice person,"

"That she is," Charlie agreed.

"Is he nice?" I asked, curious.

"Who?" Charlie asked.

"Michael?"

"He seems nice enough," Charlie said rather gruffly. "He likes her."

"Is it so obvious that even you see it?" I joked.

"It's very obvious. Almost as obvious as it was between you and Edward at first."

"That obvious, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," was the gruff reply.

"Are you thinking he's not good enough for Nikki?"

"I'm just hoping she doesn't get hurt," he said. It was obvious that he wanted to add, "Like you did."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," I said.

"Anyway, I'm going to bed," Charlie said, knowing I would be too.

"Me too," I said.

"Merry Christmas Bella," Charlie said as he got up to head off to bed.

"Merry Christmas Dad," I said as I followed him up the stairs then turned to enter my room. I didn't have to wait long for Edward to show up.

"Is he here?" Edward asked after greeting me with a hug and a kiss.

"Charlie?" I asked confused.

"Michael." Edward corrected.

"He's downstairs asleep on the chair. Nikki's on the couch," I explained. I knew he wanted to see the poor guy. "Let's go," I said.

The two of us crept downstairs so that Edward could get a glance of the sleeping Michael. Once we were in the living room, Edward looked Michael over, almost as if he was studying him.

"I wonder if he's nice…" Edward mused.

"Are you wondering if he's good enough for Nikki too? Charlie was earlier," I explained.

Edward smiled slightly.

"You could say that," he said.

The two of us silently turned around to look at Nikki's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful.

"Merry Christmas Nikki," Edward whispered and then grabbed my hand, ready to lead me back upstairs, more than likely to make me go to sleep, lest 'Santa' arrive. I quickly suppressed a giggle.

"Merry Christmas Nikki," I echoed, looking back at my cousin as we walked.

It was a Merry Christmas indeed.

_Le Fin_

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_Ok, can't believe I'm actually doing this but.... review please?_


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